Fennelly to captain the Cats in 2009

Conor McKeon
– 02 December 2008 12:00 PM

Michael Fennelly will captain the Kilkenny hurlers in 2009. The midfielder will be the third Ballyhale Shamrocks man to lead the Cats in successive years, as the county still allows the senior hurling champions to select their captain for the coming year.

Last year, Henry Shefflin led Kilkenny to the Liam McCarthy while team mate, James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick walked the steps of the Hogan Stand back in September. Now, after Ballyhale added another Leinster club title to their third senior county success, Fennelly has been chosen to lead the team in 2009.

However, he will face a battle just to make it into the team, with Fitzpatrick and Derek Lyng forming a formidable midfield pairing last season. If Fennelly does not make it into the side, Eoin or TJ Reid - both panellists in 2008 - would assume the armband.

KERRY, another county to adopt that formula for selecting their captain, may be lead by Darran O'Sullivan in 2009 after Mid-Kerry's county championship success on Sunday. Their defeat of Kerin's O'Rahilly's means Kerry's 'super-sub' this year is the leading contender to captain the Kingdom in Jack O'Connor's return to the fold.

Other candidates include Seán O'Sullivan, Donncha Walsh or Aidan O'Shea.

Aidan O'Mahony's will have his case against a failed drug test heard before Christmas, the GAA have confirmed.

The Kerry footballer failed a routine test test taken in the aftermath of the All-Ireland final defeat to Tyrone in September after it was found that the player had an increased level of salbutamol in his system.

Salbutamol is used as a treatment for asthma, a condition that O'Mahony suffers from but a procedural error appears to have culminated in the failed test. The player was banned by the GAA but the ban was later uplifted.